Preview: Whole Foods opens next week in Newport Beach

Whole Foods Market at Fashion Island opens Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 9 a.m. It will feature two bars, a fusion tea café and a cheese room. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The store will have two, four-seat golf carts available to shuttle customers to far flung parking lots and parking structures. “If you need help, I'll drive you and carry your groceries to the car wherever you are parked,” Store Team leader George Khoury said. “It's service to the next level.” NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The store will feature a larger assortment of dried goods geared for professional chefs and at-home epicureans. Shown: Dried chilies. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Roughly 10 mall parking aisles outside the store have been re-striped to 90-minutes spaces. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Trolley service will be available to Whole Foods customers, as well as golf carts. Two four-seat golf carts will be available to shuttle customers to far flung parking lots and parking structures. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Taste of Newport ticketholders will get a coupon valid for a free resusuable bag at Whole Foods Market in Newport Beach. The food event is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. NANCY LUNA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

For the past five years, the local grocery wars have been largely confined to giant corporate players such as Target, Wal-Mart and Fresh & Easy – all catering to budget-strapped shoppers looking for value.

But in post-recession Newport Beach, a new battle is about to erupt in a higher bracket league.

Whole Foods Market is opening next week at Fashion Island. The mall-based store is about a mile from Gelson’s and Bristol Farms, which cater to coastal shoppers. Over the summer, Bristol Farms, a fixture in Newport Beach for 14 years, spruced up the store with wider aisles and an expanded selection of takeout foods, gourmet cheeses and ready-to-eat meals.

The facelift, completed in late August, came as no surprise. Whole Foods Market opens Wednesday – giving locals another option for premium steaks, gourmet desserts and top-notch produce.

The question is: Will shoppers flee these stores for Whole Foods?

“Is it competition? Yes,” said George Khoury, store team leader for the Newport Beach Whole Foods. “But is there room for everyone (in the marketplace)? Yes, there is.”

Rivalry or not, the Fashion Island location has upped the ante to entice shoppers – from the food served to the parking services.

“I want people to come here and feel like they are in the Disneyland of the food world,” Khoury said. “I want this to be a food destination.”

Khoury gave the Register an exclusive first look at the 33,800-square-foot store.

“One of the things we looked at in Newport Beach was raising things to an artisanal level,” he said.

The Tea Hive and a 12-tap mini-bar are at the front of the store in a nautical-themed rotunda area that seats 100 people – inside and outside. The tea shop will feature green, black or oolong teas in any form – frozen, sparkling, iced or steamed.

Wedged into a corner at the back of store is the Back Bay Tavern.

The 150-seat bar, sporting a cork floor and a 100-year-old wooden bar, will serve well drinks and cocktails made with local ingredients and spirits.

“All the juices will be organic and fresh-pressed in front of you,” Khoury said.

The 24-tap bar will feature beers from The Bruery, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing Co. and Firestone. The tavern, which opens daily at 11 a.m., will have a menu of pub grub ranging from $5 to $12. The food includes a grass-fed burger topped with house-made bacon jam, Stone IPA- battered fish and chips, hearth-oven pizzas, tacos and salads.

After 5 p.m., the tavern will serve a pricier spread of specials such as short ribs and scallops.

The Newport Beach store will also have a Fromagerie – a chilled, walk-in cheese room. An employee will be stationed in the nook to provide samples and offer tips on cheese selections.

As for critics already questioning whether parking is adequate, Khoury said he and the Irvine Co. have come up with various solutions.

Roughly 10 mall parking aisles outside the store have been restriped as 90-minute spaces. Whole Foods shoppers can also use the mall’s valet service for free. They will be handed a pager when they drop off their car at any valet station. At the checkout counter, the shopper will hand the pager to the cashier, who will then contact the valet to retrieve the shopper’s car.

By the time you finish paying, your car should be waiting for you at the front of the store curb, Khoury said.

The store will also have two four-seat golf carts available to shuttle customers to far-flung parking lots and parking structures.

“If you need help, I’ll drive you and carry your groceries to the car wherever you are parked,” Khoury said. “It’s service to the next level.”

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